Murder charge
Suspect in Somerton woman’s killing arraigned
The Somerton man arrested in connection with a shooting on Main Street in which a woman was killed and a man seriously injured broke down in tears during his arraignment in San Luis Justice Court on Monday when he heard the charges that had been filed against him.
Appearing before Justice of the Peace Juan M. Guerrero via video feed from the courtroom inside the Yuma County jail, the 25-yearold Oscar Quintero was informed that prosecutors, after reviewing the case against him, were charging him one with count of firstdegree murder per domestic violence and one count of attempted first-degree murder.
Guerrero then told Quintero that he was also being charged with three additional counts of aggravated assault, all of which are felonies.
And when Quintero stopped responding to questions from the bench, Judge Guerrero appointed Attorney Raymond Vaca of the Yuma County Public Defender’s Office to represent him for the purpose of that hearing only, and to answer questions on his client’s behalf.
When asked if he would like to be heard on conditions of release, Vaca said that due to the circumstances of the case, he was not prepared to do so yet. He did ask, however, that his client’s bond be set at a reasonable amount.
Two of the victim’s family members also spoke out during the hearing, with one asking the court that Quintero remain in custody, saying she was fearful that if he were to be released he would kill someone else in the family.
Another family member asked that Quintero receive the most severe punishment available when he is sentenced, saying, “My pain is very great.”
After listening to everyone who had spoken, Judge Guerrero ordered that Quintero be held without bond. He also informed him that his case would likely go before the grand jury in the next few weeks to determine if there is probable cause for it to proceed to Superior Court.
If not, Guerrero explained that the case would return to Justice Court for a preliminary hearing, which he scheduled for 2 p.m. on Jan. 12.
Somerton police responded to the area of Main Street on Wednesday after receiving a 911 call reporting several gunshots having been fired. When officers arrived on scene, they found two gunshot victims in the parking lot at 725 E. Main St.
The female victim, identified as 24-year-old Clarissa Medina of Somerton, was pronounced dead at Yuma Regional Medical Center at 9:22 p.m. The male victim was identified as 22-year-old Hugo Ponce Verdugo of San Luis, Ariz.
He was airlifted to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Phoenix in serious condition.
Information gathered by first-responding officers produced the identity of a possible suspect in the case. Officers located the suspect’s vehicle parked in close proximity to the shooting a short time later.
The suspect, now known to be Quintero, was taken into custody at 10:11 p.m. in the 400 block of East Main Street in Somerton by members of the Somerton Police Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety GIITEM Unit and U.S. Border Patrol.
He was booked into the Yuma County Detention Center on preliminary charges of suspicion of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Police have not released a possible motive, and the case remains under investigation by the SPD Investigations Division.